Jury finds man guilty in 3rd largest ‘ice’ haul

The federal jury yesterday returned with a guilty verdict in the case of a former garment worker who reportedly yielded the third largest haul of methamphetamine hydrochloride or “ice” in the CNMI so far.

The jurors found Yong Ming Song guilty of possession of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school with intent to distribute. The jurors determined that Song intended to distribute 149.4 grams of “ice.”

U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Alex R. Munson set the sentencing for June 2, 2009 at 9am. Munson ordered the U.S. Probation Office to submit a pre-sentence report on or before April 29, 2009.

The judge remanded the 42-year-old Song to the custody of the U.S. Marshal.

After deliberating on the case starting Tuesday afternoon, the 12 jurors resumed their deliberations yesterday and informed the court at 11:26am that they were ready to return a verdict.

A special agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration stated in his report that on Sept. 11, 2008, at 10:40pm, Police Sergeant Anthony Macaranas and Police Officer Daniel Punimata were cruising along Beach Road in San Jose aboard a patrol car when they saw a white Toyota Corolla driving south.

The two officers noticed that the driver, later identified as Song, was not wearing a seatbelt. As the car entered the Susupe area, Macaranas activated the police car’s emergency lights and stopped the vehicle. Punimata searched the vehicle with Song’s consent and found the illegal drugs hidden in soap boxes placed in a duffel bag.

During Tuesday’s closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney James Benedetto, citing statements of witnesses and Song’s as well as other pieces of evidence, argued that Song does not have a defense that could stand up in this case.

The prosecutor pointed to a hollowed-out book, Western Union receipts of $10,000 sent to China in two days, and the use of an “ice” trafficker’s cell phone as evidence of Song’s knowing participation in the “ice” trafficking. Benedetto pointed out that 149 grams of “ice” worth between $60,000 to $75,000 were seized from Song’s vehicle.

Song’s case is Benedetto’s first trial as federal prosecutor.

Defense attorney Joey San Nicolas pegged his arguments on Song’s story that he just picked up a package that a friend had asked him to get, not knowing that it contained drugs. He said that Song trusted his friend and, in doing so, got into “something dangerous.”